Improvement in watch-regulators



F. KEEPING.

Watch-Regulators.

No.155,03l. Patented Sept.15,1874.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FOSTER KEEPING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATCH-REGULATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 155,031, datedSeptember 15,1874; application filed June 13, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FOSTER KEEPING, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and Improved Balance-Spring- RegulatingAttachment forWatches, of which the following is a specification:

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a top view of a watchmechanism with my balance-spring-regulating attachment applied thereto,and Fig. 2 is a side view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of my invention is to provide for watches an attachment forregulating the balance-spring in connection with -the hands in exactproportion to the distance towhichthey;

are moved forward or backward on the dial, so as to admit thereby themechanical regulatin g of the watches without opening the inner cap andinterfering with the interior part of the watch mechanism. My inventionconsists of a pinion which is keyed to'the sethand square, for gearingwith an intermediate spur-wheel at the end of a spring slide-piece whenthe same is carried forward, which wheel gears also with a sector-shapedwheel of the balance-spring, for regulating the same by turning thehand-square.

In the drawing, A represents any watch mechanism, whether of acylindrical, stemwinding, or other construction. A small pin ion, B, iskeyed on the set-hand square, and intermeshes with a gear-wheel, O,turning on a shaft applied at the end of a slide piece, D, when the sameis carried toward the pinion. Slide-piece D is guided by slots a onscrews .or lugs 11 of hand-square bar'D its opposite end being extendedto the outside of the watch-case and acted upon by a band-spring, Dwhich forces it away from the arbor-pinion B, until the pressure of thespringis overcome and the intermeshing of pinion B and gear-wheel 0produced. Gear-wheel O intermeshes also with a toothed sector, E, towhich the balancespring is attached in the customary manner by studs.WVhen, therefore, the slide-piece is carried forward and the handsturned ,byrthe key, pinion B causes the turning of wheel 0, and ofsector-wheel E. When the watch is running too fast or too slow, thebalance-spring may be regulatedrsimultaneously with the setting of thehands to the correct timeand 'in' exact proportion thereto. In thismanner, every person, whether conversant with the regulating mechanismof a watch or not, may readily, and without any danger ofinjuring thedelicate parts of the work, produce'the regulation of the balancespriug,and thereby that of the watch, by

.simply pressing on the slide end and setting the hands in forward orbackward direction. The sector shape of the wheel prevents injury to thespring, as it allows only the gearing and regulating to a certaindegree, being thrown out of gear to either side when, by accident ormistake, the slide-piece is pressed forward and too greata distance ofthe hands set on the dial. In this case the carrying back of the sectorto its intermeshing position with the slide-wheel is required.

Instead of slide gear-wheel, any other suitable iutermediate device foradjusting the balancespring may be used, provided the communication ofthe hand-arbor with the balance sector-wheel is established.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent A regulator for watches, composed of a springslide-piece, carrying gear-wheel intermeshing with toothed sector ofbalance-sprin g, and with pinion attached to set-hand square,substantially as herein described.

FOSTER KEEPING.

Witnesses:

T. B. MosnER, ALEX. F. RoBER'rs.

